shoulder position

[humansieve]

In The Quotable Presenter and other threads I've seen quite a few references to shoulder position. What is the proper position of the shoulders and back and why is it so important. I have never put a lot of thought into it and no one has cued me to ride any differently so maybe I'm o.k. but I'd like to know if I should make a change.
Sieve

[sweetie-pie]

I am sure a more qualified person than me will give you some good advice.

But, the best advice I have had is shoulders back and down (I usually start riding with a big shoulder roll to get my back and shoulders relaxed and in position) and I know that when I pay attention to keeping my upper body relaxed and my back in line, I feel stronger and more comfortable, which helps me to work harder.

But I speak as a participant and I am sure a suitably qualified instructor will give you more technical information

SP

[kspin]

Shoulders can creep up around the ears as people ride. That tension is a non-productive use of energy. Riders should relax the shoulders and drop them away from the ears.

Spine should be neutral-- not overly hunched like you sometimes see and not arched. Neutral spine allows for better muscle recruitment.

[SpinBob]

Sweetie pie and kspin are right, it about tension. You want folks to be relaxed because tension leads raise the potential for injury, tensed muscles will cramp as they tire. And cramped muscles are at risk for greater injury.

One of the first cues I give at the beginning of class, and several times during class, is to look for signs of tension in your body. And I mention a few of the most common, one being to pull the shoulders away from your ears.

[jsejt]

Sweetie pie and kspin are right, it about tension. You want folks to be relaxed because tension leads raise the potential for injury, tensed muscles will cramp as they tire. And cramped muscles are at risk for greater injury.

One of the first cues I give at the beginning of class, and several times during class, is to look for signs of tension in your body. And I mention a few of the most common, one being to pull the shoulders away from your ears.

This is one of my "mantras" I repeat in my classes. I always see the shoulders come down.

[NJSpiner]

Funny, whenever I do any corrections to form I say " If you're like me, when you're getting tired or the work is super hard your form tends to suffer, yadda yadda yadda.." Don't want to make them feel I am above reproach. I said this more than once yesterday as we worked on form.

Did an 8x8 class. Everything was in 8 minute sections. From WU to CD. All the songs were as close to 8 min as I could get them. I had planned for an 8x6 but left two songs in case i wanted to switch them on the iPod during class. They wanted to go longer and work harder so we ended up with a 75 min class.

[triang34]

Try to come up with various ways of saying "Relax your shoulders".
Here are a couple that I use:
1.) "Place your shoulders in your back pockets"
2.) "Increase the space between your shoulders and your ears"
3.) "Take your shoulders out of your ears"
4.) "Feel as if someone standing behind you is placing their hands on your shoulders and gently pressing down."

Hope one or more of these work for you.
Ang

[SpinningInPrescott]

I find that riders who don't bend their arms at the elbow have a tendancy for tension to gather in their shoulders and when I see this I usually wiggle my arms and do a head roll while cueing something like, "Let's all see how relaxed we make make our upper bodies," or, "Feel that tension drain out of your body as you relax."

Great thread!
PS

[Jpgirl]

Also..with shoulders up and forward it restricts the amount of air that the lungs take in-thus the amount of work you can do. I cue shoulder blades toward the spine and then put them in the jersey pockets or press them down to the back of the saddle